CMHC Systems Seminar Series Continues in Portland With Dual Focus Agenda; Electronic Medical Records, Digital Signature, and HIPAA Compliance to be Addressed.

Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers

DUBLIN, Ohio--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 13, 2001

CMHC Systems, a leading provider of information technology for healthcare and human services organizations, is pleased to announce the seventh session of educational seminars scheduled in the company's 2000-2001 series. IT Horizons: Preparing for a Paperless Industry will continue March 13-14, 2001 at the Portland Marriott Downtown, Portland, Oregon. Day One will be devoted to mental health and Day Two will focus on public health. The seminar program will feature an information-packed agenda of presentations that address how emerging technologies can support workers in both the mental health and public health fields.

Picking up where last year's popular "Pathways to the 21st Century" series left off, IT Horizons: Preparing for a Paperless Industry will provide an insightful look at the future of the behavioral and public healthcare industries, and how advances in information technology will improve working conditions and client treatment.

IT Horizons will attract IT administrators, clinical directors, financial managers, and CEOs as it examines business plan development, state and federal legislative mandates affecting the industry, and other "hot" topics including the electronic medical record, digital signature, and HIPAA.

CMHC Systems has lined up some of the top names in the industry as guest speakers for the Portland program and is pleased to welcome Dr. Ronald Manderscheid, Chief of the Survey and Analysis Branch at the Center for Mental Health Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Henry Yennie, MSW, BCSW, Senior Consultant with WES Group, Inc., as featured guests presenting during the first day of the conference with the focus on mental health. Dr. Walter Suarez, Executive Director of the Minnesota Health Data Institute, nationally recognized HIPAA expert, and member of the Public Health Data Standards Consortium, and Dr. Quentin Young, the immediate past president of the American Public Health Association and founder of The Public Health Advocate, will be guest speakers on Day Two of the seminar, as the focus switches to the public health industry.

CMHC Systems is excited about the progress and new functionality offered through its core product, the CMHC/MIS, and the integration of clinical, financial, demographic, and human resource data to support the human services industry. Supporting protocols and methods software called eCET, electronic Clinical Expert Technology, will be demonstrated as a powerful tool for executives, clinicians, and patients alike. IT Horizons will demonstrate the company's proactive response to the rapid changes in the industry as well as strategic positioning to address emerging healthcare and IT trends.

Attendees are invited to learn how the CMHC/MIS can help design and manage clinic-based personal health services, monitor environmental and food service concerns, and implement effective, comprehensive immunization programs. CMHC Systems has also developed an immunization algorithm that makes possible an intuitive record of a client's immunization history as well as forecasts and recommendations, working in full compliance with the United States Centers for Disease Control guidelines. The CMHC/MIS can easily and securely integrate information that is gathered and stored at a remote location on a third-party device such as the Palm Pilot(TM).

The Portland seminar will start at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. each day. Attendees may qualify to win door prizes, valued at $250-$500 to be given away at the end of each day. First prize includes a Palm Pilot(TM). Those interested in registering for the conference can call CMHC Systems at 800-434-CMHC or send e-mail to [e-mail]. The registration fee is $50 per attendee, per day.

Since 1978, CMHC Systems has pioneered the development of technology and management information systems for human service organizations. Integrating clinical, financial, demographic, and staff data, the CMHC/MIS permits total information management. Using browser-based software and operating under UNIX, the CMHC/MIS combines a powerful multi-tasking system with Internet technology to create a graphical environment allowing quick and easy system navigation. The CMHC/MIS works with all major network architectures. CMHC has helped provide information management solutions to more than 500 organizations with 650 sites in 40 states and more than 25,000 end-users.

The IT Horizons series will run through May 2001 and stop in Indianapolis and Albany.